Day 25 - Three Pots

Sorry, no real blogg tonight, just pictures. I actually went to bed before realizing that I forgot to do the challenge! Not that I'd have to get up and do it, but I like to. I'm just a bit too tired to think up something interesting to say. I'll do better tomorrow.

Night night

/MrsHjort

Day 29 - Morning

This was one of those nights when I didn't sleep well. When that happens, I always result to that old trick of turning around 180 degrees, not from left to right, but from head to toe. And thus, this was the sight I woke up to this morning; Mr's toes, in all their glory!

Mr and I have our own little inside jokes about each other's feet. Mr is a football referee, so his feet are very rough. I playfully nag him about it and he repays by making fun of my, in his words, "nonexistent" little toes. I do have little toes though, it's just that they're kind of crooked and they fold in behind the toe next to them. Consequently, when I wear sandals, it looks like I have only four toes. I guess neither of us have very pretty feet haha.

/MrsHjort

Day 6 - Pet

It's been a long day today! Don't get me wrong though, it's been a good one. I got lots of stuff done at the office, went to after-work with my colleagues, and had a couple of glasses of nice wine. Not too shabby! As I went home, I only had one thing left to do - take a photo of a pet.

Easier said than done! None of my cats were cooperative today! I chased them around for nearly an hour and never managed anything better than a few snapshots. I even edited some of them, desperate to make them into something better, but no matter what I did the results were subpar. After a lot of frustration my kitty got just as tired as I was, and then I finally managed to get a decent shot of her, as she drifted off to sleep. Good night dear readers, sleep tight, I know I will ;)

/MrsHjort

Life is Beauty

... or some other cryptic heading haha (silly Facebook must be rubbing off on me). Sorry, but it seemed to fit the photo :). Well anyway, for those of you who have been following me, are wondering or are just curious, I really like where I am at right now. I've recently changed careers - from school teacher to... ehm, I'm not really sure how to describe my new job (it's quite unique) but it's a desk job, and it has to do with law, news and court records. I've worked with this before, at the same company, and it's still great!

Well, as I was saying, I really like it. Don't get me wrong though, I really loved teaching too, however, this new job has proven to be better for me - when it comes to health. It's been said now and again in Swedish media (and I'm sure it's not unique to my country) that teaching is one of the most stressful and demanding professions of all. Since I am a bit too ambitious for my own good (I'm a bit of a workaholic), and tend to get a bit too involved with what I do, it has became too big for me at times, which affected my sleep a lot.

So, for the reasons mentioned, I jumped at the chance of this new job, which offered better hours, less stress, better chances of advancement, and a significant salary increase (plus, it's fun too)! So however sorry I am to leave teaching, I have to say that this has been really good for me. Though I have to admit, I do miss my students, the thrill of teaching and all the good times we had.

So, to all of my old colleagues, thank you for the memories, the laughs and the tears. It's been a pleasure! And to all of my new colleagues, thank you for welcoming me back, I'm so glad to be with you again, and I'll see you tomorrow :)

/MrsHjort

My Furry Best Friend

This is Freya, the apple of my eye and rascal of my home. She has been my loyal companion, ever since I held her tight against my chest as we traveled home with her for the very first time.

She was very small back then, only a few months old, and the car ride home from Halmstad was very very scary to her. I'd like to see the person who can keep a terrified crying kitten inside a cage for a 2 hour drive without caving. She was in there for only a few minutes before I could not resist her anymore - I put her inside my jacket instead. That made her stop, and instead she purred all the way home, sweetheart that she is. It has been pure love ever since.

Freya has always had a special bond to me, our other two cats sort of have a thing for Mr, but Freya is all mine. She sleeps right next to my pillow every night, and sometimes, when she thinks I sleep too long, she gently pokes me with her paw, as if saying "Hey! I'm here, I want to snuggle!"

Sometimes Freya loves to fetch me a toy mouse. There's nothing cuter than when she pitter-patters proudly and miaows loudly to announce her entrance, she then drops the mouse at my feet and sits proudly, stretching her neck, as I praise her hunting skills. She does not want me to throw it for her, believe me I've tried! Nope, she want's to impress me, and show me why there are never any real mice in our house ;). How could there be, when a great huntress like her is around?

I love all Freya's little peculiarities, cats really have unique personalities and she has certainly managed to steal my heart.

/MrsHjort

Mr and Morris

To continue the cat theme I've been running when Mr is away, I'll show you this picture today. A while back there was a "pet and owner" contest on W1K, and I made Mr pose on the floor with our most tractable cat Morris. Those two have always been very tight and Morris sleeps with Mr every night, to Mr's delight, and annoyance.

You see, Morris is a very kind cat - you could do almost anything to him and he'd just purr and look patiently at you - turn him upside down? No problem! Carry him around all day? Fine! Put him inside your sweater? Yup, no problem! But while Morris is very patient and placable, he's also very clingy, and when he lays down in your lap he suddenly becomes very cumbersome, and at least twice as heavy. So, when Morris comes to sleep with Mr at night, he does not lay down and curl up like into small ball beside Mr. No, no, he lays down on top of Mr and "ferments", like a large piece of heavy dough - which has actually inspired some of Morris' nick names, like "the lump of dough" or just "Lumpy".

Anyway, Morris also misses Mr, and he has been trying his doughy techniques on me lately, in lack of the real deal. But, sorry Lumpy, no such luck! Like me, you'll just have to wait until Mr gets home. You'll have to settle with the other side of the bed for now.

Good night :)

/MrsHjort

Happy Memories

Yesterday, as I laid in my bed, trying to get to sleep, my thoughts stubbornly kept on spinning around.  It had been quite intense at work that day and my crazy brain just wouldn't leave things alone. Have you ever had nights like that? Nights when you just go over the same stuff again and again and again, until you just want to scream out loud in frustration?

I have a trick that alleviates the sleeplessness - nothing beats turning over and sleeping ''upside down'' - with your feet where your head should be. Strangely, it always works, even though technically, it shouldn't! Because, let's face it, you've only turned 180 degrees south, though, somehow it seems easier to get away from those loopy thought patterns and into something else that way.

As I lay there, 180 degrees from my usual position, I like to escape into moments like the one in the photo - moments of pure happiness, far away from my stressful every day life and mundane troubles. This particular memory is of a trip to our favorite island - Madeira. Mr and I enjoyed a glass of Champagne on our balcony and marveled at the view. We were completely giddy with happiness, and we didn't have a care in the world. It's nice to keep those happy memories of bliss, I always try to convert every detail into memory, so that I can relive them again when ever life is particularly boring, or during those loopy sleepless nights :-)

Good night my friends, sleep tight, I know I will :)

/MrsHjort