Author: ghetran

An autumn Saturday in Oslo

Oslo on a sunny day is like a dream come true! Although it´s mid September, the weather Gods still had some summer in store for us! It was such a glorious day to go for a walk and of course we brought Sam along. First, we walked to Grunnerløkka for coffee and breakfast and had a break in the sun to enjoy the view- colorful people on their Saturday stroll, fashionistas as well as young parents with strollers, dogs and their owners, you name it. Sam behaved himself for once, happy to have both his parents with him, he sat by our feet, squinting and drooling, getting the occasional petting and “Awww, that´s such a pretty dog!” I couldn´t have been more proud!

 

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Boeuf Bourguignon

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I made this dish today for the first time and it was such a success! The recipe is from a national Norwegian newspaper called Aftenposten, I only made minor changes. I served it with bread and white wine. (although French baguettes and red wine is probably better ;-))

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Autumn

This week has been good to me so far and it´s nearly weekend already! I tried to eat healthy, worked just enough hours, took Sammy for a long walk in the woods on Monday, worked out with my Personal Trainer yesterday and went to bed early. And I started feeling a bit better. Last week´s tension had taken its toll on me and left me without any energy. And exhaustion is just one step away from depression, so I try not to end up there again.

Today I´ve taken it slowly, went for a long walk with Sam, spent some time in bed with coffee and Instagram and now I´m about to start billing for a couple of hours. Later on I´m having lunch with a friend, then work for a couple of hours more and this evening we´re entertaining guests for dinner. 🙂 I´m not sure what to cook, I thought maybe I should give Boeuf bourguignon a try. I have plenty of time to wait for it cook to perfection, the only question is if I feel like going to the Wine Monopoly to buy the wine.

I´ve also started therapy. I´ve been dreading the idea for so long I knew I needed to jump into it or else I´d never do it. It´s very emotionally draining, but it triggers a lot of mental activities that help you focus. I believe everybody holds the cure within oneself, it´s just that when life seems to be too demanding, one cannot sort out one´s priorities any more. Enough about that. It costs a fortune, if one were waiting in the health line, one might as well be dead until it´s finally one´s turn.

Can´t wait for the weekend to come! We´re going to a party on Saturday and to a birthday picnic on Sunday. 🙂 I need to find the perfect dress (in my wardrobe) and get the manicure to go with! Until then, I leave you with some pictures from this week´s activities. I hope you have a great one! xxx, Alina

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A great ballet evening with JIŘÍ KYLIÁN

Yesterday we were offered tickets to a ballet performance at our new opera house. Although it was in the middle of the week and my energy level is on an all time low, we couldn´t say no. We´ve been to the new opera quite a few times, mostly for ballet, but also for opera once and theater a couple of times. The building itself is amazing enough to be worth a visit and so is the scenery! 🙂 On top of that, I get to dress up and sip some sparkling white wine while balancing on my heels. 😉

Last evening´s performance was nothing less than astounding! I must admit there was a time when I thought most upper class tastes must be acquired, but now I know better. Some performances transcend culture, class and upbringing. They simply pierce through all the layers of your human soul and touch you. I remember watching both Sleeping Beauty and The Nut Cracker and think it was lovely, but not feel it. JIŘÍ KYLIÁN´s choreography is of such proportions that every single thread of you resonates with tremor. What an achievement! I wish I was that good at something!

Anyway, if you get the chance to see this performance, do! We decided to be more cultural this fall. If it weren´t for all this traveling!;-)

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Sunday treats

After a boring morning of billing and accountancy, we´re now off to the city to treat ourselves to some dim sum and a movie. Meanwhile I was checking Pintrest to get some inspiration for my birthday, which I´m celebrating with a cocktail party in 3 weeks´ time.;-) Here are some suggestions.

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Autumn wish list

With September comes autumn and so I envision myself in a cosy couch with a lovely woolen plaid and a cup of cocoa. Since we threw away our old sofa a two seats couch is now doing the job and we´re not thrilled with it. It´s too small to sit comfortably, not to mention there´s no room for napping.  However, I don´t despair. I´ve set my eyes on this baby from Andreas Engesvik, I drool whenever I see it. 😉

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Saturday

My favorite day of the week finally arrived and I made it count. 😉 We had a long breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon and tomatoes with the mandatory coffee. Later on I pretended Sam was not a polar dog, but an urban one, so I dragged him to a flea market and the farmers´market. Needless to say, he wasn´t pleased and he barked and howled and scared the bejesus out of both kids and smaller dogs. Silly mom, why couldn´t she just stick with the woods!

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This week is finally coming to an end

I can´t remember last time I´ve had such a shitty week. It´s been horrendous. And as it often happens when you´re under mental stress, you mood is precarious and so is your physical well-being. To sum it up, my week mainly consisted of working, sleeping, eating, walking Sam and watching the occasional movie on Netflix.

Yesterday however I was done at 2, which left me time to have a couple of much-needed Proseccos with my husband and a friend of mine and blow some steam. It was a glorious day in terms of weather, sunny as only early September days can be. The air was crisp, but you could still wear ballerinas and short sleeves. I´d bought some fresh local produce at the market and couldn´t wait to get the chance to make some seasonal food. We had lunch at Café Bacchus, they have a lovely garden and serve well assembled salads and summer dishes made from Norwegian ingredients.

 

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Life is not for the tender-hearted

I wish I had thicker skin. For a couple of days now I´ve been feeling frustrated and wronged at work. It´s like I´m standing outside myself and witness how I let things get to me. It´s ridiculous, I know it is. I drive it off, but it comes back. This should run off me like water on a duck´s back, I tell myself. But it doesn´t.

As I go about my daily duties and chores I often take things personally. I wish I didn´t, but I do. I take racism personally, I have a strong sense of justice and I have a hard time accepting that people don´t like animals. I even feel responsible for the Holocaust although I wasn´t even born at that time. I mean I can argue with myself at a sensible level, but on an emotional level it has no effect whatsoever.

This is how I feel today.

 

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