November week

I was starting to forget the main reason why people love working freelance- being in charge of your own time. I rarely feel this is the case for my part, in my line of work I´m way too busy 90% of the time. Thank God November can be slow! This week has been smooth and good for the soul. I filled my days with a little work, walked with Sam, billed and read. I´m also making healthy comfort food since I´m on a diet. It´s just that I surpassed 60kg and knowing that Christmas is right around the corner and that I´m in my 30s, I thought I´d take matters into my hands before they escalate. Today I thought I should reward myself with a faux chocolate mousse made of avocado, cocoa, bananas, apple juice and olive oil. Blend two avocados, two bananas, 3 tea spoons of cocoa, one tea spoon of olive oil and two tea spoons of apple/orange juice. Bonne appetite!

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Weekend

Weekends are holy. I stopped working weekends about a year ago, unless there´s a particular emergency to justify it. Saturdays focus on me and my needs since Vuong often works, but include a longer walk with Sam, our lovely samoyed. Today I invited a couple of friends for pancakes and coffee, otherwise I´m just reading and observing the apartment, can´t wait till the hallway is done, next week, I hope! I´ll be sure to post lots of pictures since our weekend project turned out to last for 2 months. Have a good one!

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Then we take Berlin

I´m just back from a trip to Berlin and boy  was it  invigorating! I love that city, there´s no doubt in my mind that it has everything you could ever want from a metropole, except for the sea, perhaps. I´d settle for that anytime!

I was in Berlin for a conference; in a way it was the excuse I needed to allow myself 4 days off.  The conference about community interpreting was intense and inspiring, although I found out mostly what I already knew, that the world is compromising more and more for the sake of saving a penny and that availability precedes quality.

However, that didn´t stop me from having a good time. We did some shopping, we dined French, Asian and Italian. We walked till our feet hurt, stopped for a beer and then walked some more. I´m not very much into German cuisine, except for the curry wurste and the pretzel, which I had my share of this time, too.

On Sunday we went to the Mauerpark for the flea market, but since it was Memorial Day there was no market.  What else to do than eat some organic pizza and have more coffee? We then walked all the way to Mitte through Prenzlauer Berg with its colorful  buildings, shops and falafel stores. Berlin was chilly and grey and yet not distressing at all. They´d just started Christmas decorating and somehow I felt I was a couple of weeks early.

Yesterday we wrapped up by cake and coffee at KADEWE, the amazing shopping center of West Berlin, where you find whatever you could ever dream of from exclusive handcrafted bags to chocolate truffles and eclairs. We had amazing eclairs and bought some small gifts and magazines, I am now the proud owner of the latest CEREAL edition! Later on we visited the Bauhaus Museum and found yet some more inspiration in the clean lines and visionary buildings. I am currently on my couch in my pjs and life has never been as sweet.

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My big fluffy baby

There´s nothing like a child of your own, they say, and I don’t think I could argue with that. I´ve been hoping for a child for 10 years now and it might happen soon, but I don´t take it for granted. However, the pets in my life have always been very important.  They have given me a sense of home and of belonging, but also the chance to feel care and responsibility for someone else than myself. My biggest love for the time being is Sam, our amazing samoyed. Here are some new pictures with my cute little darling. Isn´t he adorable?

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Amazing loft in Oslo

Not really what I´m looking for since I prefer a one-storey house, this apartment is nevertheless an architectural pearl! I love the lines, the styling, the light, the boldness of the transparent bathroom and the way they made use of every inch and corner. Not to mention the naked beams and the wooden staircase! Tell me what you think!

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Mondays for a career woman

I´m getting used to those leisure Mondays, I´m thinking of making them a permanent solution. It´s such a good day to breathe! Fridays are not the same at all, you just feel you´re jumpstarting the weekend. Mondays however are an extension of the weekend, you get to do whatever it was you didn´t have time to during those two days that pass way too fast.

Long story short, my day started in court where I interpreted with a friend of mine for 2,5 hours and, due to a cause unrelated to the interpreters, the proceedings had to be postponed. Meaning coffee with my colleague, waxing and massage! Isn´t it just wonderful when you make a little time for yourself? I don´t have kids, so I don´t know how the others manage through the week, but I get so worked up in my daily life I almost get depressed if I don´t have a little timeout at a beautician´s or in a shop. 😉

I then bough a magazine and came home to enjoy some time with the pets. Beo slept leaning on to me and I planned dinner. Onion stew a la grandma, with chicken and dill. Recipe and picture in my next post! Yummy Mondays!

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Apartment in Frogner

Still looking for a house or a bigger apartment, as you know. No rush yet, the one we´re living in is spacey enough. Besides we really enjoy living in Gamlebyen, but we´re so longing for a garden or at least a balcony! This is the perfect apartment! It´s in Frogner, my favorite residential area, it´s big enough and it has a lovely balcony! And I love their furniture. too!

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