I've decided after reading "A Modern Girl's Guide to Getting Organised", that taking and keeping digital photos on your computer is crap because no-one else can see your photos. So I've taken out the best 200 from the 600+ that I took in Sweden and Norway and they're up on my gallery and I'm going to take them to get printed and buy an album later today.
It's been a good weekend albeit it felt like a short one. I spent Friday night at Robin's attempting to sleep. I ended up watching about 6 hours of Channel V and finally fell asleep at 07:30 only to be woken up by the alarm at 08:00. *urgh*
Later in the day Robin fitted my new Akrapovic pipe while I mucked around with the Power Commander. I decided to leave it as is for a week or two, or until the pipe gets burnt in. The real test will be next week when I put in on the dyno for some power runs. I'm hoping to crack well over 140HP as its currently about 139.4HP. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get the neon on, a project for the week maybe.
Seeing as I was in Sweden for Easter, mum and dad took Robin and I out for some awesome Chinese at Han Palace in East Perth to celebrate a belated Easter. Not to mention the champagne breakfast on Sunday morning with salmon, prawns, caviar, eggs, herring, salami, ham and lots of buttered bread. Yummm!
Sunday I spent with Robin. We went for a relaxing walk, bought some icecream, chilled out in the park and generally did nothing. It's been a while since I had sat down and just zoned out for a few hours. It was the best feeling. All in the company of my man.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Back to Work... Urgh!
So it was back to work today, jetlag and all.
I landed at Perth International Airport at 01:40 on Wednesday morning. It was then out through customs and off home to unpack gifts and say hello to the family. Mum was cooking pierogi for me at 03:30 and I ate all of them. I finally went to bed that morning and woke up a full 12 hours later. I was going to be rooted after sleeping through almost the whole of Wednesday.
I didn't sleep well last night, woke up at 04:00 fresh as a daisy. So I read a book "A Modern Girl's Guide to Getting Organised" and eventually got ready and headed to work for 07:30. By 09:00 I was starving and getting restless. I had lunch with Robin around noon which is great also because he works so much closer to me now :)
After lunch I got two phone calls and an email out of the way before I started losing functionality. I was on the decline. I needed sleep. I drove home and crashed out immediately to be later woken up by dad at 16:30 offering bacon and eggs for dinner. I can't eat. I'm sooooo thirsty!
It wasn't all doom and gloom today, it was actually a fairly easy day at work. I got in early and cleared some emails, gave everyone the rundown of the trip to Sweden and Norway, opened up my new titanium Akrapovic exhaust and milled around the office for a bit.
I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with Robin, my family and finally finishing the R1, complete with neons and new muffler. If I get really adventurous I might even change the map on the Power Commander. Here's to nice weather for the weekend!
I landed at Perth International Airport at 01:40 on Wednesday morning. It was then out through customs and off home to unpack gifts and say hello to the family. Mum was cooking pierogi for me at 03:30 and I ate all of them. I finally went to bed that morning and woke up a full 12 hours later. I was going to be rooted after sleeping through almost the whole of Wednesday.
I didn't sleep well last night, woke up at 04:00 fresh as a daisy. So I read a book "A Modern Girl's Guide to Getting Organised" and eventually got ready and headed to work for 07:30. By 09:00 I was starving and getting restless. I had lunch with Robin around noon which is great also because he works so much closer to me now :)
After lunch I got two phone calls and an email out of the way before I started losing functionality. I was on the decline. I needed sleep. I drove home and crashed out immediately to be later woken up by dad at 16:30 offering bacon and eggs for dinner. I can't eat. I'm sooooo thirsty!
It wasn't all doom and gloom today, it was actually a fairly easy day at work. I got in early and cleared some emails, gave everyone the rundown of the trip to Sweden and Norway, opened up my new titanium Akrapovic exhaust and milled around the office for a bit.
I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with Robin, my family and finally finishing the R1, complete with neons and new muffler. If I get really adventurous I might even change the map on the Power Commander. Here's to nice weather for the weekend!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Påsk Party
Glad Påsk (Happy Easter) everyone! It's Easter and the party atmosphere is all around. Well, at least in the Aussie camp in Örebro.
Last night the lovely Reynolds family hosted the Påsk celebrations. Julian fired up the BBQ with the "Outback" BBQ, Bar-B-Mate and all the winter gear on.
Pumpkin put together the salads and brought the beer, Erika made some cakes and the rest of us just set off fireworks and enjoyed the beer.
Skål!
Obviously, when it's -7°C outside, there's no need for a beer fridge. You just keep them outside under the patio. After dinner, we were chilling out in front of the telly...
... and letting off fireworks. Lucikly they're legal in Sweden (but only really used on events like Christmas and Easter).
Last night the lovely Reynolds family hosted the Påsk celebrations. Julian fired up the BBQ with the "Outback" BBQ, Bar-B-Mate and all the winter gear on.
Pumpkin put together the salads and brought the beer, Erika made some cakes and the rest of us just set off fireworks and enjoyed the beer.North end of the table
South end of the table
South end of the table
Skål!
... and letting off fireworks. Lucikly they're legal in Sweden (but only really used on events like Christmas and Easter).
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Svampen, the Water Tower in Örebro
Holding 9 million litres (that's 9,000m3) of water, Svampen is the main water source for Örebro. With the views and the cafe at the top, I had to go and check it out.
Lax (salmon) and potato
The weather was average all day so we did some more shopping at the Marieberg Centrum (I bought some Swedish face towels, trackpants and a cool winter headband) then crashed out to watch the Ice Skating Championships on TV which are being held the southwest of Sweden, in Göteborg.
It was a lazy 15 second ride up the escalator to the top so I was glad that I didn't have to conquer many flights of stairs to get there. Once on the top, the wind was howling and it was very cold. Wind chill would have brought the outside temperature down from about zero to -5°C easily. It was frosty and it didn't take long for my hands to go numb from taking photos at the top. Sebbe and I bailed to the restaurant instead from some traditional Swedish food.
The view
Lax (salmon) and potato
The weather was average all day so we did some more shopping at the Marieberg Centrum (I bought some Swedish face towels, trackpants and a cool winter headband) then crashed out to watch the Ice Skating Championships on TV which are being held the southwest of Sweden, in Göteborg.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Walking on White
It had been snowing (in Örebro) on and off for the last two days, but yesterday when it snowed it had stayed through the night and it was still on the ground. The nights have been cold here, with temperatures around -5°C at night and not much higher than +1°C during the day. Nothing quite like a nice crisp morning with a big fluffy jacket and heated car seats.
Sebbe took me out to the town park which also doubles as a Botanic Garden in summer. He even let me drive. At least I didn't change gears with the door handles.
It was awesome to walk on white snow and hear the creaking under my shoes.
Chomping some nuts
The Örebro Castle (Örebro Slott)
We spent most of the day hanging around town and doing some tourist shopping with a quick stop in the office as well. I bought a new jacket too. ^^^ See? Furry bits :D
Sebbe took me out to the town park which also doubles as a Botanic Garden in summer. He even let me drive. At least I didn't change gears with the door handles.
It was awesome to walk on white snow and hear the creaking under my shoes.
Chomping some nuts
The Örebro Castle (Örebro Slott)
We spent most of the day hanging around town and doing some tourist shopping with a quick stop in the office as well. I bought a new jacket too. ^^^ See? Furry bits :D
One for Robin
Monday, March 17, 2008
I Got Snowed On; Proper
Last night Pete was packing to head to Ireland and I had Vegemite and cheese on toast, a cloudberry cider (4.5%) and I was ready for bed. It was an awesome Spring day and it was refreshing to see so much sunshine.
When I woke up this morning to open the blinds I couldn't believe my eyes. It was actually snowing. And not just a little flurry here or there... it was really snowing proper.
I was so excited I had to text/email people straight away. I had never seen snow before (well, not the "falling from the sky" type) so it was nice to see it finally. It wasn't that cold outside, so I sat on the balcony for a few minutes and just watched it fall onto the street below. Sweden had turned on a marvellous display for me. Sunshine and snowboarding on Sunday and sweet, soft snow on the Monday.
It's a beautiful Winter day. Snow galore!
When I woke up this morning to open the blinds I couldn't believe my eyes. It was actually snowing. And not just a little flurry here or there... it was really snowing proper.
I was so excited I had to text/email people straight away. I had never seen snow before (well, not the "falling from the sky" type) so it was nice to see it finally. It wasn't that cold outside, so I sat on the balcony for a few minutes and just watched it fall onto the street below. Sweden had turned on a marvellous display for me. Sunshine and snowboarding on Sunday and sweet, soft snow on the Monday.
It's a beautiful Winter day. Snow galore!
Forecast for Örebro
The view from Pete's place
Stomping around
I maketh the man; a snow man
The view from Pete's place
Stomping around
I maketh the man; a snow man
Snowboarding
OK, so I didn't go snowboarding as a ninja, but I did have a crack at it today and it was awesome fun.
Pete, Sebastian and I drove to Romme Alpin this morning, about 2 hours drive north of Örebro. I woke to sunshine which was a refreshing change for my trip so far, as it hasn't been sunny until now. And what an opportunity to go boarding!
Kitted up and ready to go!
Practicing my technique
The view from the chair lift
Playing silly buggers on the slope
Having a stab at it
Me and Sebbe (and Pete's fat fingers over the lens)
Gah! My chops are sore!
I got some lessons from a pro
Another hard day's work
Sebbe and Pete
The weather had been awesome the whole way up to Romme Alpin and almost the whole way back except for a band of rain and hail which we passed about 80km from Örebro. We drove through it for about 10 minutes after which time the sun came out again.
In summary: Snowboarding is very cool. I will update with the bruise tally during the week once they have had enough time to flourish with colour.
Cheers to Sebbe for the lessons and to Pete for being the official photographer.
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Pete, Sebastian and I drove to Romme Alpin this morning, about 2 hours drive north of Örebro. I woke to sunshine which was a refreshing change for my trip so far, as it hasn't been sunny until now. And what an opportunity to go boarding!
Driving into Romme Alpin
Kitted up and ready to go!
Practicing my technique
The view from the chair lift
Playing silly buggers on the slope
Having a stab at it
Me and Sebbe (and Pete's fat fingers over the lens)
Gah! My chops are sore!
I got some lessons from a pro
Another hard day's work
Sebbe and Pete
The weather had been awesome the whole way up to Romme Alpin and almost the whole way back except for a band of rain and hail which we passed about 80km from Örebro. We drove through it for about 10 minutes after which time the sun came out again.
In summary: Snowboarding is very cool. I will update with the bruise tally during the week once they have had enough time to flourish with colour.Cheers to Sebbe for the lessons and to Pete for being the official photographer.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Splash and Dash: Stockholm
The other two guys that I had come over to Sweden with were taking the flight home on Saturday afternoon so it was off in the car to Stockholm on Friday afternoon for a night on the town and some sightseeing.
Changing of the guard and the Royal Palace
First stop was to check in and head out for a little tourist shopping. Pete took me to the shops where he had previously bought me some clogs and I ended up stocking up on four more pairs. Awesome! I bought a few more touristy things for friends too, but Erika was keen to head out to the major shopping district. The boys did some "man-shopping" while Erika and I went off to the malls. I ended up finding a nice jacket but for some reason didn't try it on. But while Erika was in the changerooms trying some other stuff on, I decided to give it a burl and tried it on. It looked awesome! I bought it for 949SEK which is about AUD166 and I've been wearing it ever since!
The boys had planned a fairly big night on the town and I was pretty keen to go too. We started off at an Irish pub called the Shamrock where we were served by a Australio-American Swede. We knew that something was different about him when he took our order and just before he turned away to head to the kitchen he said, "No worries". We all just sat there and looked at each other. "He just said 'No Worries'. Did you hear that?" was the call. He had to have been partly Aussie. No-one else says that!
The meal at the pub was good albeit a little late but by then it was about 10pm and I was getting itchy. And I mean literally itchy. I don't know if its the washing powder in the hotel towels and sheets (most likely) or stress on my body from the cold or the water or what, but I get wickedly itchy. And when I get itchy, I get irritable. So as we were walking outside in the cold air heading towards the next bar, I had to call it a night. I was starting to shake. Not the cold shake, the "my body has had enough" shake. So I jumped in a taxi and headed back to the hotel. When I got there I noticed that the hotel had towel heaters on already, so I made the most of it and did some washing and dried them on the rack.
On Saturday morning I was woken up by the hotel phone with "Jorgen!". Pete, Erika and Chaim were downstairs and calling me for breakfast. I went down and nailed some more herring (yum) and later we checked out and headed out on the town again.
Pete making fun of me being "short stuff"
Be cautious of cars driving into the water
We went to two museums, one on Swedish culture at the Nordisk Museum and one of the Vasa, a ship that sunk in the centre of Stockholm.
It was off to Sebbe's house with beers and Chinese food to play Wii, and watch some videos. That, and kit up for some snow-boarding action.
Erika and me
Changing of the guard and the Royal Palace
First stop was to check in and head out for a little tourist shopping. Pete took me to the shops where he had previously bought me some clogs and I ended up stocking up on four more pairs. Awesome! I bought a few more touristy things for friends too, but Erika was keen to head out to the major shopping district. The boys did some "man-shopping" while Erika and I went off to the malls. I ended up finding a nice jacket but for some reason didn't try it on. But while Erika was in the changerooms trying some other stuff on, I decided to give it a burl and tried it on. It looked awesome! I bought it for 949SEK which is about AUD166 and I've been wearing it ever since!
The boys had planned a fairly big night on the town and I was pretty keen to go too. We started off at an Irish pub called the Shamrock where we were served by a Australio-American Swede. We knew that something was different about him when he took our order and just before he turned away to head to the kitchen he said, "No worries". We all just sat there and looked at each other. "He just said 'No Worries'. Did you hear that?" was the call. He had to have been partly Aussie. No-one else says that!The meal at the pub was good albeit a little late but by then it was about 10pm and I was getting itchy. And I mean literally itchy. I don't know if its the washing powder in the hotel towels and sheets (most likely) or stress on my body from the cold or the water or what, but I get wickedly itchy. And when I get itchy, I get irritable. So as we were walking outside in the cold air heading towards the next bar, I had to call it a night. I was starting to shake. Not the cold shake, the "my body has had enough" shake. So I jumped in a taxi and headed back to the hotel. When I got there I noticed that the hotel had towel heaters on already, so I made the most of it and did some washing and dried them on the rack.
On Saturday morning I was woken up by the hotel phone with "Jorgen!". Pete, Erika and Chaim were downstairs and calling me for breakfast. I went down and nailed some more herring (yum) and later we checked out and headed out on the town again.
Pete making fun of me being "short stuff"
Be cautious of cars driving into the water
We went to two museums, one on Swedish culture at the Nordisk Museum and one of the Vasa, a ship that sunk in the centre of Stockholm.
The Vasa
Lovable bones
It was back in a taxi to the hotel to grab our stuff and head over to the airport to see the boys off and Pete and I then grabbed the hire car and headed back to Örebro just in time for dinner, not without a stop for Maccas along the way...
Lovable bones
It was off to Sebbe's house with beers and Chinese food to play Wii, and watch some videos. That, and kit up for some snow-boarding action.
Beware of the Swedish Snowboard Ninja!
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