everyday life

yellow & blue

Me, at Råsunda. I have my football shirt and my new yellow hat (I sat in the sun, I needed a hat). We lost, but I had a great afternoon anyway. My team had chances, but didn't score. The first half was better than the second, even though Fredrik Ljungberg was back in the second half. My new favorite this winter has been Sebastian Larsson, a midfielder in Birmingham, and in my opinion, he should play from start June 10 against Greece. I have seen him in a couple of matches now and I think he is really good. And today he played the first 45 minutes, and he stired up the Ukraine defense really good.

The bad news is this match was Johan Elmanders injury... We need him fit, although we have great set forwards at the moment, but Zlatan just came back from a knee injury and Marcus Rosenberg is not fit from his injury yet. The two old ones are still fit and has no injuries.

But in next match I want see some score and I want the defense allert!

summer is really here

The past days has been really wonderfull. Summer is really here - and so is also the heat. Yesterday we had +27 C /80 F. And today will get even hotter.

I started out the day with a summery breakfast at my balcony. Tea, yoghurt and fresh strawberries. So lovely! And you all know how I love spend time on my balcony, so it was a perfect day for balcony life.

I've started a new knitting project for a new little friend. Lovisa was born the last day of April, and she needs a baby bonnet for those cold days later this year. So I cast on for Joelle Hoverson's Baby Bonnet, found in Last-Minute Knitted Gift. I choose the colour of pink and ... pink. A darker pink and a brighter pink, I think it's looks really nice. And I bet Lovias's mother likes it too.

My plans for today? I have tickets to a footboll game between Sweden - Ukraine, at Råsunda football stadium this afternoon. It's the last pre-game for Euro08, so it's going to be interesting to see the team. The opening game for Sweden is June 10, against Greece, who won the tournament last time, 2004. So the next couple of weeks will be filled with lots of football. And I will problably write about it too, but there will be knitting too.

On Wednesday evening, a friend and I saw an open traing session with the Swedish team at Råsunda. There was lots of people to see the team, most kids but also grown ups, both men and women.  It was a fun 1 1/2 hours, with beautiful goals made by Zlatan, Henke and Allbäck.

Have a great Sunday!

the battle of europe is 12 days away

The Swedish betting company Oddset, has done an ad for Euro08, with the Swedish national football team and with the head coach Lars Lagerbäck and the chairman of the Swedish FA, Lars-Åke Lagrell. I think it's funny. Tonight the team plays a pre-game against Slovenia, and of course I'm watching it. Unleash Hell.

sunny göteborg

I'm sitting in the sofa, in my hotel room in Göteborg, after a good nights sleep. Yesterday was a long day. I left my apartment yesterday morning at 5.15 - is it still night at at time? I think so anyway...

My train left Stockholm at 6.00 am and almost three hours later I could walk the sunny streets of Göteborg. And it was summer! The temp was already + 18 C / 64 F when we arrived and during the day the temp got higher, and I had to much clothes on. I left my luggage at my hotel and walked trough Göteborg to my seminar.

All ready on the train I met archivists I know, in fact the train was filled with Stockholm based archivists.. The first person I ran in to in Göteborg was my former boss... And during the day I met up with former colleagues, people I knew in "archivist" school.

We had a small conference dinner yesterday (the big party is tonight) and I EFT early because I had a football game to attend.. I had a chance to see IFK Göteborg play at Ullevi - their home stadium- against the current leader Kalmar FF. In the end IFK won 3-2, but after the first 45 minutes Kalmar was in the lead win 0-2. It was a fun match to watch and sadly the camera batteries gave up so I don't have any picture's from the game to show you... :(

But here are some before I walked in to the game, outside the stadium, I was a bit late and the game had just started when I took these.

Ullevi Stadium.

Now it's time for some breakfast.

englishmen in stockholm

We had a fantastic sunny, but cold day yesterday! The past days has been very grey and gloomy so it was really nice to see the sun. I was out for a walk in my neighbourhood and people were de-frosting the cars everywhere. I met up with my neighbour, Miss K, and we took a hot chocolate on a nearby café! And we actually sat outdoors cuddled up in blankets. And today? We´re back with the grey and gloomy weather, but it´s actually snowing at the moment. But I fear, the snow will turn to rain later on. But the snowfall is nice!

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So, my day with the Londoners was great! The whole story beginns in 2006, when I signed up for another round of Secret Pal. My spoilee was living in London and her name was Claire. And when the SP round had finished we continued to keep in touch and it was pretty clear we had not just knitting as a common interest. So to celebrate her birthday and her and bloke's (belated) 10th anniversary, they bought ticket to Stockholm.

 

Claire bought some yarn at Marias.

So I took a day off from work and met up outside the hotel on Wednesday, at noon. They had done some touristy thing the day before, so this day we walked around the city for some yarn hunting. We started at Nysta, after that we walked across the city to the south side to visit Maria´s garn. And here Claire bought some goodies. We had a lunch break, continued our yarn walk through Old Town and checked out Sticka and Anntorps Väv. After that we needed something to drink so we took a long chocolate/tea break at the Kungstornets Café.

Since we all is huge football fans, I had bought tickets to the last Euro 2008 qualification game at Råsunda between Sweden and Latvia. And Sweden still needed 1 point  to qualify. And after 34 seconds the Swedish player Marcus Allbäck scored and everybody was over the moon with happiness. But after 30 minutes a Latvian player scored, 1-1. The game was not that good, but in the end, after Kim Källström had made the final goal, 2-1 - the Swedes were happy and we are now qualified to play in Euro 2008. The Londoners got text messagers from home about the England game, and it was not happy reports. At the end England lost and will not take part of the Euro 2008. But I think Sweden gain two new supporters this night! Right?!?

I end this report with a lovely photo from Claire's camera.

Knit bloggers is the best!

domestic goddess

I basiclly spent the whole afternoon in my kitchen - cooking, cleaning, eating, reading and knitting. Once in a while I enjoy cooking and I try to make something new. When I had my birthday in September, a co-worker made me some apple chutney as a gift and I loved it. Then Katarina made some and I got a recipie from her and today I made my own. And it tastes wonderful. Had it for lunch with my grilled sandwich.

apple chutney in jars

I also made my gavorie cake - a chocolate cake, a quick and easy way to get high..

For dinner I made a chicken curry dish and I was to hungry to take a photo, but it was a very tasteful dinner!

I have been knitting on the birch and I am very close to finnish it now. I have 79 stitches left, so hopefully I will finnish it tomorrow and take a photo of it in daylight!

Now, it's football night. My boys are playing against Spain and we need ONE point to qualify to Euro 2008. Let's make it happen tonight!! (I will be at Råsunda on Wednesday for the final match, against Latvia. And I will go with my English friend Claire and her hubby Ian, who is visiting Stockholm, Mon- Thu.) The big game starts in about 10 minutes I need to go to the kitchen and fetch a glass of wine. See'ya!

råsunda, october 17

råsunda, october 17
Originally uploaded by catsfalk

Just football in ths post. If you are not interested, bye, bye - see you another day!

OK, so my boy's didn't win, (1-1) but we still have the chance to qualify to Euro 2008. First half was OK, the second was really, really boring. We lost the play when Christian Wilhelmsson got badly hurt and was carried off the pitch.

We need just ONE point to qualify and the has 2 matches left to play. November 17 in Madrid, against Spain and November 21 in Stockholm, at Råsunda, against Latvia. So hopefully there will be no problems to qualify. I know other people who feels very bad today, because their team lost and has big probelms to qualify. Right, Claire?

sweden vs n.ireland

Sweden-N.Ireland
Originally uploaded by catsfalk

Tonight, at Råsunda football stadium, there is a football match between Sweden and N. Ireland and I will be there, with 35 000 others, watching my boys win (hopefully). It's a Euro 2008 qualification match. And if Sweden wins this game, we're playing in Euro 2008. YAY!

This football stadium is situated in my neighbourhood, about 15 minutes walk from my apartment. I can hear the audience from my balcony, on match days !

Let the match begin! Go Sweden!

show your colours

sweden, originally uploaded by catsfalk.

This post will be all about football (soccer), so you, who couldn't care less, can stop reading now. See you next time!

In Copenhagen tonight, Denmark and Sweden, had an importent football match to play. A qualifing game to Euro 2008. It's the 99th game between these two "arch enemies". Denmark has won 36 and Sweden 46 of these games, last played game was in Euro 2004 in Portugal, June 22, 2004 was a draw, 2-2 ( that result gave Italy the booth out of the tournament. But I also remember that day because my Grandmother died that day!)

The match was really intense with a couple of yellow cards, one red card and lots of goals. There are always intense when these two countries meets. A staduim filled with 40.000 danes and about 4.000 swedes. The first goal was made by Johan Elmander (s), the second by Petter Hansson (s), the third by Elmander (s), again, the fourth by Daniel Agger (d), the fifth Jon Dahl Tommason (d), the sixth Leon Andreasen (d). Denmark got a red card on a player and a penalty awarded to Sweden and then a supporter invaded the pitch and the referee stoped the game, after beeing hit in the face by this supporter with 1 minutes left and decided that Sweden was the winner with 3-0.

A bad ending for a great match. I feel sorry for the danish players, they went from 0-3 to 3-3, and lost it all because of one very, very, stupid act of one supporter.

/ C

sporty sunday

home line 450 by monark
Originally uploaded by catsfalk.

Aaah, Sunday - my favorite day of the week. And today is the last day of the holiday season... Tomorrow we all go back to our normal routines. Working 5 days a week. Meetings. Less time to knit.

But I started a new routine today. Before breakfast I "climbed" my indoor bike for the first time in 6 month. It was hard, but I need to do it. I'm in a bad shape, and I need to loose some weight again. It has been almost 2 years since I ended my Weight Watchers routine, and I have gained almost everything I lost.. So I have made up my mind to loose it again. I have joined 100 miles by April 1st. And that's about 162 kilometers. My mileage today? 10 kilometers= 6,2 miles. Perhaps not great, but you have to start somewhere. But I'm happy! :-) My plan is to do this every second day.

After this exercise I made my usual Sunday breakfast with bacon and egg(whites) and lots of tea. I was quite content sitting in my sofa watching TV with alpine skiing and cross country. And later today I have English FA cup football on TV - Man U vs Aston Villa, with some of my Swedish lads. My kind of Sunday! And you can do of lot of knitting infront of the TV. I'm working on my blue shawl at the moment.

/ C