Dreaming of the good guys...

It's very early in the morning and the first birds have not yet started to sing. I've had two cups of coffee and am now drinking my third one. For some reason they taste extra good this morning and they are even quenching my thirst. They are also making me feel nice and warm on the inside and I'm sitting here in my pajamas without my bathrobe on. 

It was cool during the night and it isn't going to be such a warm day. I like the coolness at night and sleep better for it. I don't mind so much what the temperature is during the day, as long as it's not too hot. I don't think we're in danger of that this coming week. It's going to be summery, but not too warm. It will be pleasant to be outside. 

Because the fields have been mowed again, there aren't any interesting wildflowers growing there right now. The grass is kept cut short. There are still tall red poppies in the flowerbeds, but that's about it. There's nothing exciting to discover. I look in vain for something new, but all there is is white clover that grows very close to the ground and that is not cut down. The interesting ground cover with the purple flowers has been completely decimated. It was better when the fields were neglected during the drought. Nobody cared what was growing there then. 

Last night I watched a very good episode of 'Sebastian Bergman.' It was interesting because you get to know the character better with each episode and learn to find him a little more sympathetic. There's nothing worse that disliking the main character of the plot. He's becoming more human now. The episode was very exciting and filmed well and then, of course, there was the Swedish language which I paid close attention to. It's starting to make sense. 

I watched a journalism program afterwards which touched on a bunch of political subjects, but which left me none the wiser and with more questions than I had. I suppose it was to stimulate my independent mind. I just wish I knew what to do with it. I feel hopelessly inept at changing the course of history. The 'old boys network' seems very much in place and very smug and solid too. Our liberal prime minister seems to have tight control of everything and enough support to get away with it. Liberalism here being the same thing as what conservative republicanism is in the United States. 

I will go back to bed now. My personal helper is going to be here this morning and I've got to set the alarm clock so I will get up on time. I'll have to find some decent clothes to wear too. Something I will feel pretty and comfortable in. 

I hope you'll all have a very good Monday and a Happy 4th of July if that applies to you. 

Ciao,

Nora

Sunday morning...

Well, it may already be morning and the birds may already have greeted the day, but that does not mean that I'm awake yet. I'm in an upright position and I'm writing this, but that's about where my alertness ends. I'm drinking my second cup of coffee and I hope to come to my senses soon. I'll try to make sense in the best possible way and write something coherent until the coffee kicks in. 

I went to bed after midnight because I stayed up and watched an episode of 'Wallander.' It intrigued me enough to want to stay up and finish watching it, although it was way past my bedtime. Besides, it was the Swedish one and I do love watching anything done in Swedish. It's the linguist in me that enjoys it so much. I always try to understand as much of it as I can. 

I watched this after I came home from the film I watched in the film house with my sister. That was only a partial success. It wasn't a very good film, but we had a nice outing. We had cappuccinos in the bar before and after the film and it was very cozy. The film house itself is a very nice place to be and fun to linger in. We got a schedule of the films coming up for the next couple of months and are going to pick out the other ones we want to go see together. There's lots of choice. 

We rode our bikes over there and the film house is downtown. I had not been there in forever, so it was about time that I made the trip, although nothing had changed, of course. Making the bike ride over there wasn't nearly as gruesome as I thought it was going to be and we were there in the shortest amount of time. I'm in good shape and can do it easily. It wasn't very warm out, but that was good weather for riding our bikes in. 

The coffee has kicked in and I am fully awake, much to my relief. I can think absolutely straight. I've got to think about what I'm going to do today besides watch the Tour de France. It will be on all afternoon and I do like to watch it for the scenery and to listen to the casual commentary. It's a nice way to spend the time. It's the tour of tours, after all.

Tonight the thriller 'Sebastian Bergman' will be on. It is another Swedish one. I will be able to practice the language more. At least it will be on at a decent enough time so I won't end up in bed too late. 

I do have to keep in mind that this is that last day of the weekend which is flying by quickly. I have to make the most of the day and spend it as pleasurable as I can. I do think that's what Sundays are for. Sundays are 'treat yourself well days.' 

Of course, I always treat myself well and there's not a day that goes by that I don't. I always try to make things as pleasant as possible for myself. For the most part I succeed, bar the things I don't have any control over. I count my blessings all the time and knock on wood regularly. 

Have a great day.

Ciao,

Nora

Blogging for insomniacs...

I've just started a pot of freshly brewed coffee and it will be done in just a few minutes. I drank a cup of heated up coffee first, but it was very unsatisfactory. I don't think it really woke me up well enough either. I think it had lost those qualities by sitting in the pot too long, if that is possible. I will be right as rain as soon as I have a cup of the freshly brewed stuff. I'm sure my brain will start functioning much better.

I woke up because he dog barked once. That was enough to get me up out of bed. I'm always immediately alert when he barks because I'm afraid that he'll do it again. It was a false alarm because there was nothing the matter and he curled up on the living room chair as soon as I turned on the computer. I think he just likes for me to be up in the middle of the night. I guess he doesn't like to be on his own when it's dark.

I've got my cup of freshly brewed coffee now and very nice it tastes too. It tastes like it will wake me up properly. I'm very eagerly drinking it anyway. I drink it like it's the elixir of life and for my mind it is. I'm sure a study has been done that shows that a certain amount of caffeine is good for a body. I think I remember hearing about it. As long as you don't overdo it. The same as a certain amount of chocolate is and red wine.

I watched a Swedish thriller last night. It was about a forensic profiler and it was the first episode in the series. It was the introduction to the character who was not immediately a likable man. You didn't feel a lot of sympathy for him, but it turned out that he had a lot of skeletons in his closet. He was very good in his job, if not unorthodox, but still it was a bit of a problem to really like him. It is not a clearcut case of him being a good guy. He is multi faceted.

It was fun to listen to the Swedish language because it had elements of English, German and Dutch in it, so some of it was very understandable. It helped to have the subtitles so I could make sense of it, but I paid close attention to what was being said. I've always liked to listen to people speak Swedish. This series is very well done, by the way. It was very believable. It's called 'Stefan Bergman.'

Yesterday went by without a hitch. It was a very low key day. I washed both my skinny jeans in very hot water and hung them outside to dry in the sun. I hope it has shrunk them. I will try them on today, but I won't wear them because it's going to be a hot day and I will have to wear skimpy clothes like I did yesterday.

I started to read a new novel, but found it absolutely uninteresting and I will have to find a new one on the bookcase. Some titles are so intriguing that you imagine the book to be also, but it can be a real let down. Or maybe it's the particular mood you're in that's just not right for that kind of book. 'Running With Scissors' sounded like a good title, but when I started reading the book, I realized I was not interested in the subject matter.

I do better reading a novel that I've already read and liked. I've got enough sorts of books to choose from and I should be able to find one that's to my liking. I may make some false starts, but eventually I will find the right one or I'll end up rereading the same one over and over again and that can't be the purpose of my reading.

The weekend went by quickly and I feel that I didn't do much with it. I took care of some chores, but time seemed to fly by. I think I had gotten used to three day weekends and these short ones go by too quickly. I need a Monday off also. Maybe some day in the future we'll always have three day weekends. I remember my father having to work on Saturdays. That was the norm back then. I do date myself, don't I?

As long as I don't have a 'sell by date' there's no problem. I see no numbers printed on my body. I don't know how to read the life line on the palm of my hand and I'm not about to go to a palm reader to find out how long my life is going to be. In my mind, I'm going to become very old. As long as I can live independently, I have no problem with that. I would always wish to be able to take care of myself. The women on both sides of my family live long and independent lives, so I have good genes.

I bonded well with the dog this weekend. We played endlessly with the tennis ball and he sat on my lap and I got my face slobbered. I do appreciate these tokens of affection. I've gotten completely used to the way he looks now, so naked in his very short fur. He does have the cutest face and his eyes are full of expression.

I think I've made this post long enough and instead of rambling on any longer, I'll knit an end to it. I don't want to bore you with my every day observations of life. A person does have to know when to stop writing.

I blame it on the very good coffee that I've written as much as I have. It's quite perked me up. It will be a real job going back to sleep. I don't think I'm going to be ready for it for a while. I'll have to find some other ways to keep me occupied.

Have a good day when you get up.

Ciao,
Nora

Late night thoughts...

My sister had given me a package of organically grown coffee and I made a pot of it just now, but I have to say that I don't like the taste of it very much. I made it just as strong as I made the regular coffee, but it doesn't pack a punch. You can't look a gift horse in the mouth and I will finish it all up, although it is with a bit of resistance. Maybe I will get used to the taste of it after a few pots, but organically grown is not necessarily better.

It was coffee she no longer used because she has a complicated Krupp machine now that makes all sorts of coffee and grinds whole beans. Before that, I never thought I had a decent cup of coffee at her house, but I thought she was just not very good at making coffee. Now I understand why that was. She made the coffee too weak and it was organic. Another mystery solved. 

Her Italian friend tweaked the Krupp machine yesterday and fixed me a most excellent cappuccino in a tall glass that I really savored, so I know now to always have him make my cappuccinos. It must be because he's Italian that he knows how to fix them so well. The milk was foamed to perfection.

As we speak a mixture of Dutch and English and Italian when we are together, we are all starting to understand each other in these languages. We switch from one to another without realizing that we do, although I'm very limited in Italian. I did guess the correct word for pillow, which is 'il cushino.'  

We sat in the garden in the sunshine and as I sat with my back towards the sunlight, I've got a tan line there and on my shoulders. My dress was low cut in the back. The fence blocked the cool wind that was blowing and it was lovely. We moved our chairs as the shade of the house moved across the garden. 

On the fields by my apartment, the dandelions have all gone to seed, but the daisies are still blooming. There is also purple clover now and there are yellow buttercups all over. I've even see the first pink poppies. It is a joy to walk the dog and to discover the new wildflowers. There are some other very small ones in different colors, but they are so little, that they hardly show up. There are bees buzzing around now too, but luckily I have no fear of them. I've never been stung by one. 

All in all, it was a wonderful lazy day yesterday as Sundays should be. It was truly a day of rest and I didn't even get around to doing the dishes that I should have done. I was also going to change my bed, but I didn't get around to that either. Those will be jobs for today. That's what Mondays are for, after all. I do have a clean set of sheets and pillow cases. It's the pillow cases that I always run out of. I have to get more of those with four pillows on my bed.

I'm truly thankful for the mood I find myself in. It's neither high nor low, but nicely in between. I guess I'm doing something right. If only I could figure out what the magic ingredients are, I would keep adding them every day. I would subtract whatever did not fit into the picture. It's such a relief to be balanced. I'd wish for it every day. I suppose that would bring me the greatest happiness. 

I've had a glass of milk, but the taste of that coffee is still in the back of my mouth. It really isn't very good. I think that maybe I will just keep it for emergencies. There's no sense in drinking something against your will. That's not what life is all about. You always need to find the most enjoyable experience as long as you don't hurt anyone with it. I'm sure my sister won't mind if I don't like her coffee. I don't think she was too thrilled about it herself, but bought it out of a sense of responsibility. She had a wacky little coffeemaker when she moved to her new house until the Krupp machine arrived.

I've got to think about going to bed, although I'm not nearly ready to. I'm enjoying the peace of the nighttime too much. 

I hope you're all sleeping tightly or are about to. 

Ciao,

Nora