Then it was Friday again, and we have been home in Sweden for almost a week of work. But nowadays I (Helena) actually only work half time. Or yes, it depends on how you see it of course ...
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Holiday reading
One good thing about the trip was that we finally got to read books! Peter was reading "Lazarus" by Kepler and was completely fixed. Really exciting! I read "Jag är fan inte inskränkt" by Anders Königsson (which I received as a review copy) and "Färjan" by Mats Strandberg.
The first one was great to read while travelling because it's about a guy who goes on a backpacking trip to Asia and Australia after his girlfriend breaks up with him and leaves him with a plane ticket for what was originally supposed to be a joint trip. The protagonist is young and uninterested in most things outside his own little bubble, and makes a somewhat surprising acquaintance with the outside world. The book is an easy read, but perhaps more interesting for younger readers.
"The Ferry" is awesome! If I tell you it's about two vampires travelling aboard a Finnish ferry in a camper van (!) you might be hesitant, but don't be. You quickly get close to the different characters and their everyday worries, and when the story gently takes the step into the supernatural, you hold on tightly to the book. Read!
Finally Half-time jobs
I have long wanted to go down in working hours at my "regular" job, as I want to be able to devote more time to the blog, travelling, writing for magazines, etc. Now I have finally got the opportunity to do this, and the fact that half the time is together with super nice colleagues and a really fun project does not make things worse. I've already received requests to work extra in another project, but I'm going to try not to work too much ...
What happened to the stain?
You might be wondering what happened to the olive oil stain we got on the carpet after the event. Storm Alfrida. Firstly, we would like to thank most humble for all the great tips we received! We started by soaking up the oil with paper towels. Then we thought about using potato flour (which several people recommended), but we didn't have any at home, and then we thought the stain might be too dry for that. Instead, we used water and detergent. The stain is not gone, but it is significantly better. Maybe we'll try again!
Refreshed after your holidays?
Shouldn't you be rested after your holiday? We have jet lag and a cold. We wake up at 4am every morning and are super excited to get to work. I guess we're not equally alert in the evenings, so to speak ...
By the way, in the picture you can see some of the beers we picked out of the "stash", which we bought in Germany and Belgium last summer. We will probably try some of them this weekend! Peter also has an ambition to review his DJI Pocket video camera as soon as he can.
How has your week been? What can you highlight as the most positive aspect of the week?
Did you miss the last Happy Friday? Read the Mingle, new technologies and travel preparations
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Ruth in Virginia says:
Sounds like a nice part-time job for Helena.
I have wondered how she could buy everything on her plate.
Not much positive to report from the US. Our President is
angry! Government is closed. About 800,000 workers did not get their wages.
payroll cheques today, which means that many people are unable to pay
rent, etc.
Positive - after 10 days in hospital, I'm home and starting out
feel human again. Benefit: lost 13-14kg in weight.
Nice end of the week! It was great to see Sri Lanka through your eyes.
Your driver looked like a Tamil?
11 January 2019 - 6:13
Helena says:
Buy everything on the plate?? It sounds tough in the US right now!!! Glad you're feeling better! Losing so many kilos sounds tough, but it feels ok then? I don't think our driver was Tamil. We did not ask but he was a Buddhist (Tamils are usually Hindus) and lived in the Sri Lankan part.
11 January 2019 - 8:59
Ruth in Virginia says:
That's a bit of Swenglish, Helena.
"Handle so much on your plate." 🙂
11 January 2019 - 15:47
Helena says:
Haha, ok! I almost suspected it, but still did not really understand 😉 Thank you! 🙂
11 January 2019 - 17:19
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
How wonderful for you to have a part-time job, so you can devote even more time to the blog and other fun things.
(I myself have been told that I am welcome to work as much as I want after retirement?!?!)
I'm also going to tackle Lazarus, although I find some of Kepler's books almost make my hair stand on end. I took on Peter Mays, The Black House on the Mexican Voyage and now I have started part two (of three) in his series from the Isle of Lewis. Highly recommended!
The best part of the week is ahead of us: Friday off, grandchildren's party tomorrow and a mini holiday in Stockholm, Sunday-Monday.
The best thing for Lars is that his long-awaited drone arrives today.....
11 January 2019 - 9:28
Helena says:
But it is positive to hear that you are welcome back to work as much as you want after retirement! 🙂 (Then whether you want it or not, that's another thing;)) Thanks for the book tips! And what fun with both Stockholm trip and drones! A lot of fun at once! 🙂
11 January 2019 - 17:21
Helena - Oh darling, let's be adventurers says:
How nice that you have reduced your working hours at your "regular job". Blogging (and everything around it) can really take up a lot of time. Not to mention reading everyone else's blogs. I still have lots of your Sri Lanka posts to read that I'm looking forward to, but will save them until I really have time to read properly.
And it's nice to be so alert in the morning! I also tend to be that way after travelling, especially where there are time zone differences. I am not normally a morning person but can feel that I get a lot done when I get up early, so usually do not complain then. However, I also tend to dive early during such evenings, haha.
Looking forward to a review of the DJI Osmo Pocket. I was SOOO close to ordering it too, even sold another camera gadget to replace it. But then I decided to wait a bit instead.
Have a nice weekend!
11 January 2019 - 9:42
Helena says:
Of course blogging takes time! And yes, it is nice to be fresh in the morning ... but not fun to be tired already at eight in the evening 😉 Glad you also thought about DJI Pocket, Peter likes his! 🙂
11 January 2019 - 17:23
Bosse and Gerd says:
We visited Sri Lanka in 2001 for 3 weeks and we really want to go back - most people we know who have been there say the same !
See on the "beer picture" that you also bought Duvel and it is our absolute favourite beer of all categories with an alcohol content of 8.5%. Despite the high alcohol content, you only feel the rich and good taste - many beers with high alcohol content unfortunately do not taste so good, but this is the exception to that "rule"!
11 January 2019 - 10:07
Helena says:
We like Duvel! And wow, is it 8.5 per cent? I know that some Belgian beers are strong, but have not reflected on the fact that it is so strong 😉 Have to be a little careful then, but it is good 😉.
11 January 2019 - 17:24
OnTrip.com says:
Congratulations on your half-day fun, Helena. It sounds like a good idea that you want to spend more time on the blog 🙂 ðŸ™'
Uhh jet lag is awful. I hope you can turn the clock around over the weekend.
Have a good weekend.
/Annette
11 January 2019 - 10:11
Helena says:
Thank you very much! I didn't think you'd get so much jetlag from Sri Lanka (4.5 hours time difference), but we really did 😉.
11 January 2019 - 17:25
Mr Steve says:
Wise of you to TRY not to work too much. I recognise that with offers/requests to work in exciting projects... It is wise to have a definite strategy from the start so that you do not "fall there" again and again. That's what I did and worked for periods 150%. Certainly fun, but terribly unsmart.
The best thing about the past week is that the weekends are over, it's slowly getting lighter and I'm starting to think about the approaching spring.
11 January 2019 - 11:16
Helena says:
Then you understand exactly what I mean! The projects are fun and I have such a hard time saying no, but I want some time for other things now 😉 .
11 January 2019 - 17:26
Marianne - Glimpses of the world says:
Part-time job sounds very good!
My week has been great, with holidays in Malaysia and Thailand ? It's hard to pick just one highlight from this week. Maybe it should be that I let go of the snow at home, and rather enjoy beach life, good food, relaxation, nice experiences and maaaange warm degrees here ?
11 January 2019 - 11:20
Helena says:
Malaysia and Thailand sound lovely! Keep up the good work!!!
11 January 2019 - 17:27
Veiken says:
You could not apply for longer days? A few more hours and you could do everything. 😉 Just kidding. Remember that you are the most important and it is wise to go down to half-time when it gets too much. Good prioritisation.
11 January 2019 - 14:21
Helena says:
Haha, longer days would suit me really well 🙂 ðŸ™'
11 January 2019 - 17:27
Maria / Magnolia Magis says:
Congratulations on the division of labour! Yes, it is easy to get carried away and work too much when it is fun! How nice that you can now write more! As usual, I read like a crow and this time it was not the best city... You had received the book as a review sex... "Hm what the heck is review sex...?"? What have you come up with now?! But I can usually turn the words around pretty quickly.. ;D I will definitely read The Ferry! Sounds exciting!
Best of the week: The husband got to finish the office (coming post) while I was at my parents' house trying out some of the instruments! This time the harmonica and nyckelharpa (difficult even though I have played the violin). Yes, I was at the annual family reunion too! Great fun!
Have a great weekend and get well soon!
11 January 2019 - 14:28
Helena says:
Review sex ... haha, is that when you review sex or? No, we probably stay away from that 😉 You should really read the ferry! Sooo good! Interesting with the office ... and all the instruments! 🙂
11 January 2019 - 17:54
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
We were travelling with the Malibu motorhome in eastern Östergötland, so we went with stomach flu. Not fun when you are travelling and we had to cancel and drive home to Helsingborg.
But now everything is as it should be and the car is thoroughly cleaned and parked.
I am curious about the DJI Pocket, it will be fun to read about it.
11 January 2019 - 15:11
Ditte says:
Understand that you are jet lagged but that usually disappears after a week or so so I hope the weekend can help. I like to read and do it for a while every day. Then it can vary in what I read. But I mix quite a lot. Now there will be some books and articles about the places we will visit on our long journey. I have read Lazarus and thought it was great. I generally like Kepler.
Ideal to go down in service and be more independent.
Best of the week? New job offers, dinner with friends and brighter times.
11 January 2019 - 16:06
Husis blog says:
Happy Friday is one of the best things about Fridays. Just the name, the introduction makes the owners happy.
Lovely to be able to try to go down a little in time so there is the possibility of other challenges. Will probably be a little exciting to follow how it goes ?
My male owner is terrible at reading books 11 months of the year, only when he is on holiday and we are out and about does he listen to books instead.
For my male owner, the conversation with his boss / operations manager has probably been. It has become a bit too much in his work basket so now some pieces will be cleaned away so he can instead do his work in a good way and not just put out small fires all the time.
Have a nice weekend!
11 January 2019 - 16:55
Emma, sun like sun? says:
But that was super smart, to go down in time! I have often wondered how you get time and energy for everything you undertake. As I have understood it, Peter has no employment but it is Freedom for the whole thing? Or I hope it's more than one, it will be a lot of money anyway.
So good that most of the oil stain went away! You could probably have soaked it up with cornflour or wheat flour too. (Or you can do like me and make your own potato flour when you're peeling potatoes anyway ... I know, I'm hopeless but it's not easy to get here and you have your habits!)
Your favourite part of the week? Sitting facing the sun or just sitting there reading. Warmer outside than inside! (But not today, it's chilly and drizzly, the fire is lit.)
Have a great weekend!
11 January 2019 - 17:14
Anna / boihusbil.se says:
Great to find that balance you are looking for! Hope you can continue to say no, if that's what you want. Jet lag is really not fun, hope you soon do not have to get up so early. The best thing this week is definitely the delivery I got yesterday, write about it tomorrow morning on the blog. Have a nice weekend!
11 January 2019 - 17:28
Susjos says:
Welcome home!
YES, the dream of being able to work half time...would be lovely! Good luck to you!
This week went fast, doing an awful lot of night shifts this week, so the highlight must probably be my free Thursday when I took the husband to Ulriksdal's castle garden! Beautiful as only that, and they have such a good vegetarian lunch buffet in the garden café!
Now three night shifts are coming up, oops!
11 January 2019 - 18:06
Susjos says:
Oh yes, forgot...saw Duvel there on the table, so good...and so strong!
Hugs again!
11 January 2019 - 18:07
BP says:
I will read Lazarus when it comes out in paperback. I have read The Ferry and I was also totally hooked.
Congratulations on your part-time job! Surely just a dream for many and so great that you can do it in reality.
By the way, who has potato flour at home? Not me and apparently not you either.
As everyone knows, whisky helps against colds, but maybe German beer works too;-)
11 January 2019 - 19:11
Annette says:
Wonderful to be so in demand in the labour market, and even more wonderful to choose to work half-time to have time for things you also want to do, congratulations on that! I have also read Lazarus, I had the opportunity to meet the Kepler couple at a blog meeting last autumn. Very interesting. I can't help but read their books and get stuck in them every time, even though they are terrible. This latest novel is probably the most gruesome so far, but it got high marks from me. I haven't read The Ferry, but I got The End by the same author as a review copy and can really recommend it. One of the very best books I read last year. Enjoy!
12 January 2019 - 5:48
Reiselinda says:
I understand that Peter got hooked on Lazarus, I haven't read it, but Kepler usually has that effect on me too! The Ferry sounds like a good book, will add it to the reading list. However, the next book is "Surrounded by Idiots". There are so many people around who refer to it all the time so I thought I would check what they are talking about!
Good for you with half-time! Hope you get a better balance and more time for fun travelling!
It's only the second week of the year, but I think it will qualify for the top list of the best weeks this year. I have received several nice messages and made some plans that I unfortunately can't write more about here. We have also booked a trip to Berlin, which is always nice!
13 January 2019 - 11:21
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06 March 2021 - 18:55